
About
The Barbican is one of London's leading arthouse cinemas, with three screens (Cinema 1 in the main Brutalist centre and Cinemas 2 & 3 across the road on Beech Street) showcasing an exceptionally curated programme of international cinema, new releases, restored classics, and experimental film. Programming spans everything from contemporary arthouse and world cinema to rare archive prints and comprehensive director retrospectives, with a strong emphasis on lesser-seen gems and under-heard voices from past and present. The venue is particularly renowned for its ScreenTalks—post-screening Q&As with directors, actors, and filmmakers that bring audiences closer to the creative process.
Beyond its core film offering, the Barbican hosts major film festivals and seasons (including Experiments in Film, themed retrospectives, and international cinema showcases like the Iranian New Wave series), alongside silent films with live musical accompaniment and event cinema broadcasts of theatre and opera. The cinema is exceptionally accessible, with relaxed screenings for neurodiverse audiences, parent and baby screenings, senior community screenings, audio description, and captioned performances. With Pay What You Can screenings and a welcoming café-bar that operates all day on Beech Street, it's a cinema that combines artistic ambition with genuine community spirit.
Address
Silk Street, City of London, London, EC2Y 8DS, UK
Located in City of London
Accessibility
Learn more about accessible screenings
- 🔊 Audio Description4 films
- 👶 Baby Friendly7 films
- 👂 Hard of Hearing4 films
- 🧘 Relaxed2 films
- 💬 Subtitles14 films
Cinemas Near The Barbican
- The Refinery Citypoint0.2 miles
- Everyman Broadgate0.4 miles
- Art'otel London Hoxton0.6 miles
- Islington Museum0.6 miles
- The London Archives0.7 miles
- Strongroom Bar0.7 miles
- Curzon Hoxton0.7 miles
- The Moniker0.8 miles
- The Nickel0.8 miles
- Courthouse Hotel Shoreditch0.8 miles
- KERB Social Club0.8 miles
- SCRT0.9 miles
- Tate Modern0.9 miles
- Rich Mix0.9 miles
- Galleria Objets1.0 miles
- Close-Up Film Centre1.0 miles
- Curzon Sea Containers1.0 miles
Films showing at The Barbican
Start exploring films at The Barbican
The Drama
2026

Father Mother Sister Brother
2025

Akira
1988

Project Hail Mary
2026

The Blue Trail
2025

Diferente
1962

Persona
1966

The Color of Pomegranates
1969
The Old Ways: Yarn Stories + Textile Repair Café

The Queen
1968

The Sacrifice
1986

The Sea
1962

3670
2025

A Century in Sound
2024
A Focus on Gabriel Abrantes: Ratzo Presents...

A Taste of Flesh
1967

A Useful Ghost
2025

Animation Workshop
1996

Arco
2025

Atomic War Bride
1960

Beatriz González, why are you crying?
2011

Chained Girls
1965


Chronic Youth Film Festival: Shorts Programme + Q&A


Cold War Visions: We Live Here + Chornobyl 22

Diamantino
2018
FFC x The Old Ways: Woolly Animations + Activity

Fifth Cinema
2018
Film Rarities and the Films of Edward Owens + Live piano and electronic accompaniment by the Guildhall School

Finding Dory
2016

Flee
2021

Girlfriends
2025

Go Fish
1994

It Was Just an Accident
2025

James and the Giant Peach
1996

Jasmine & Jambo

My Father's Shadow
2025

National Theatre Live: Les Liaisons Dangereuses
2026

National Theatre Live: The Playboy of the Western World
2026

Night Is Short, Walk On Girl
2017

No Other Choice
2025

Olivia & the Clouds
2025

Portrait of Jason
1967

Power to the People: John & Yoko Live in NYC
2026
Preschool Pics: Amazing Animations + Music with Tara Franks

Puppygirl
2025
Queer 60s: Bits and Bobs from the Archive + Introduction
Queer 60s: Gay Erotica from the 1960s + ScreenTalk

Queer 60s: Queer Britain on Screen in the 60s + introduction

Queer as Punk
2025
Queer East Festival: Mari Terashima: Exquisite Tastes

Rose of Nevada
2026

Rosie
1998

Royal Ballet & Opera 2025/26: The Magic Flute
2026
Senior Community Cinema x The Old Ways: Pattern Testing

Sentimental Value
2025

Space Cadet
2026

Star Spangled to Death
2004

Supermen of Malegaon
2008

The Boy and the Wind
1967

The Colour of Ink
2022

The Last Blossom
2025

The Man Who Had His Hair Cut Short
1966

The Metropolitan Opera: El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego
2026

The Metropolitan Opera: Eugene Onegin
2026

The Nightcleaners
1975
The Old Ways: In the Making

The Outsiders
1986

The Smeds and the Smoos
2023

The Songbirds' Secret
2025
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

Winter Kept Us Warm
1965

With Hasan in Gaza
2026

